The advent of global communications networks such as the Internet has facilitated numerous collaborative enterprises. In addition to basic e-mail exchanges and intercommunications, such communications networks offer the opportunities to provide communications arrangements (e.g., voice conferencing, video conferencing, the combination of which plus multimedia that can be exchanged during a session are referred to herein as teleconferencing) whereby many customers can be bridged together on a media connection. Individuals and business people seek to communicate with each other, obtain useful information, interact commercially and entertain themselves in an increasingly mobile society. In order to fulfill these needs, one requires the capability to send and receive messages, access information and entertainment content, conduct business transactions, organize daily schedules and generally, stay in touch with homes and offices from almost anywhere, at any time, as easily as making a telephone call.
The challenge of communications interoperability has plagued public safety agencies. Such interoperability can give first responders, elected officials and public safety agencies the capability to exchange voice and data on-demand and in real time, when needed and as authorized. However, national security incidents (e.g., terrorist attacks, bombings, . . . ) and natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, . . . ) have exposed that true interoperability requires first responders and elected officials to be able to communicate not just within their units, but also across disciplines and jurisdictions. Additionally, full communications interoperability is required at all levels, for example, at the local, state, and federal levels.
Conventional network availability has proven to be difficult to maintain in unpredictable environments such as firestorms, natural disasters, and terrorist situations. Too often communications depend on access to fixed or temporary infrastructure and are limited by range or line-of-sight constraints. Moreover, radio interoperability between jurisdictions (e.g., local, state, federal) is always an issue for responders and has become a homeland security matter. Furthermore, proprietary radios and multiple standards and their lack of interoperability with wired and wireless telephony (also called telecommunications) networks make it virtually impossible for different agencies to cooperate in a scaled response to a major disaster.
The ability to determine if a first responder is on the net or available, i.e. “presence” is critical to the successful execution of any crises management situation. This concept is particularly difficult to implement, enforce and manage for radio networks.
Accordingly, reliable wireless and/or wired communications that enable real-time information sharing, constant availability, and interagency interoperability are imperative in emergency situations. Additionally, greater situational awareness is an increasingly important requirement that enables emergency first responders to know each other's position in relation to the incident, terrain, neighborhood, or perimeter being secured. Live video, voice communication, sensor, and location data provide mission-critical information, but low-speed data networks cannot meet the bandwidth requirements to support such critical real-time information.
When catastrophic emergencies happen, a comprehensive coordinated effort based on timely, effective communications between fire, police, emergency services and/or elected officials is necessary to cope with the situation. Therefore, what is needed is an improved interoperable emergency and security communications architecture. In addition, this architecture should embody services that support presence as well as notification and alarm transmission.